Kolkata, May 17 -- Following Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari chairing a high-level meeting at SSKM Hospital on Friday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) doctor-MLA Indranil Khan visited Vidyasagar Hospital on Diamond Harbour Road in Behala. Overhauling the hospital had been one of Khan's key poll promises during the Assembly elections. Local residents had repeatedly complained about the poor condition of the facility.
After inspecting the hospital, Khan pointed to severe staff shortages, claiming that the hospital has only one surgeon, forcing patients to be routinely referred elsewhere for treatment.
He also highlighted the absence of a trauma care unit despite the hospital being located beside a busy arterial road. According to him, a neonatal care unit has also not been developed at the hospital.
Khan held a meeting with hospital authorities and sought a detailed report on the institution's infrastructural deficiencies.
A delegation of BJP doctor-MLAs is scheduled to meet senior officials and the Director of Health Services at Swasthya Bhavan on Monday, where the Vidyasagar Hospital report will be formally presented.
Sources in the Health Department said the state government has adopted a "zero tolerance" policy against unnecessary patient referrals and the alleged activities of middlemen operating within hospitals. Hospital authorities have reportedly been warned that negligence will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
Meanwhile, Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nand on Saturday issued a fresh set of stringent directives to strengthen security across all government and private hospitals in Kolkata.
In his message to the police force, the Commissioner stressed that there can be "no compromise" on the safety of doctors, healthcare workers and patients. He instructed that every hospital outpost must maintain adequate deployment of armed police personnel round the clock.
The directives called for increased CCTV surveillance, tighter control over outsider entry into hospitals, and intensified night patrols by local police stations. The Commissioner warned that any negligence in implementing these instructions would invite strict departmental action.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.